Senate Chaplain for a day

Friday

May 23, 2014 at 12:01 AM

A while back, Scott Prouty, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Redwood Falls, received a call from the office of Sen. Gary Dahms; "They asked me if I was interested in serving as chaplain for a day,” Prouty said....

By Troy KrauseEditor

A while back, Scott Prouty, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Redwood Falls, received a call from the office of Sen. Gary Dahms. “They asked me if I was interested in serving as chaplain for a day,” Prouty said, adding he expressed his interest in the idea. Finding an open date, May 2, Prouty and wife, Pam, traveled to St. Paul. “We stayed at a hotel the night before and arrived at the Capitol at 9 a.m.,” said Prouty. After getting a tour of the historic Capitol building, Prouty was led to the Senate Fireside Room. “I had a chance to talk with a lot of the Senators,” said Prouty, adding that was a great opportunity him to serve as chaplain. As the chaplain for the day, Prouty was given the chance to offer a prayer at the opening of the session for the day. “The session was set to open at 11 a.m.,” said Prouty, adding however, for the session to open it requires a quorum of the Senate members in the chamber. “I think it was about 11:15 a.m. when the session actually opened.” Prouty was given one minute to offer his prayer.

Prouty said he crafted his prayer in advance, adding he was told as there are a number of different religions represented in the Senate, he needed to reflect that in how he prayed. Prouty admitted it was hard not to pray “in Jesus’ name.” “I prayed for the well-being of the people and for their families and the work we’re going to do,” said Prouty. Prouty said while the prayer was a big part of his role as chaplain, he felt the opportunity to speak with the senators outside of his time in the chambers was very valuable. “The hospitality was wonderful,” said Prouty, adding he felt very welcome and comfortable. Prouty said the chance to be chaplain for the day was a great experience, adding he had served as the chaplain for the state House of Represent-atives once, too. When asked if he had served as chaplain before by one of the sergeants at arms, Prouty said he had in the House. He was then informed the Senate and the House are “very different.” Prouty was also given the chance to learn a lot about the history of the Capitol, adding the building is currently in disarray as it is being renovated. “It is such a beautiful building with a rich history,” he said. Prouty considers the opportunity he was given as chaplain for a day to be a good one, adding it was definitely something out of the normal day for a pastor.